1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to deposition of oxides on a substrate and, in particular, deposition of transparent conductive oxides.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Transparent conductive oxides have a wide variety of uses, including applications to solar cells, organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), electric field devices, current devices (i.e. touch screens), energy efficient windows, conductive anti-reflective devices, electromagnetic interference shields, heaters, transparent electrodes, coatings for cathode ray tube (CRT) displays, to name only a few. Another important application is for touch sensitive MEMS devices, such as those used, for example, in fingerprint sensors and such. In many cases, the electrical properties of the conducting film is of great importance.
Specifically, for OLED applications, films deposited with current technologies are generally rough, resulting in stress risers and field concentration issues, that can cause leakage. Further, asperities in the resulting film can induce lifetime dependent defects in nearest neighbor films that can shorten device lifetimes. Additionally, the brightness of the emergent light from the OLED can be reduced.
Transparent conductive oxides have been deposited from ceramic targets by RF magnetron sputtering. However, the surface of properties of the resulting films often include nodules or asperites which can cause arcing, defects, surface roughness, and other deleterious effects in the resulting film. Additionally, ceramic targets tend to be more expensive to produce than metallic targets.
Previous attempts at deposition of transparent conductive oxides, for example indium tin oxide (ITO), with metallic targets have presented numerous problems, including small process windows, problems in process controllability, a disappearing anode effect, and particle deposition on the film. Such attempts have been abandoned. Deposition with ceramic targets has also been difficult, including problems with particles, nodule formation, and arching during deposition. In both cases, film smoothness has presented major difficulties. Additionally, control of film parameters such as, for example, resistivity and transparency has been difficult.
Therefore, there is need for cost effective deposition of smoother layers of transparent conductive oxides with greater control over layer properties such as resistivity and transparency.